Maybe I can’t find it, but there doesn’t seem to be an online link to a survey that was sent to parents of the Sioux Falls school district;
The emailed survey asks whether they’d like the school year to start before or after Labor Day. The survey also asks whether high school semester tests should be given before or after the December break.
“It seems the most emotion is raised when you begin the year and when you end the year,” said Sioux Falls School District superintendent Brian Maher.
Maher said that emotion has quite a history in the district. Last year, city voters passed a measure to begin the Sioux Falls school year after Labor Day, going again the school board’s previous calendar starts which hit before the holiday.
Notice voters decided the school start date, and it should be no different this time around. I think parents, students and teachers opinions are just as important as the opinions of people who fund education. Just because I may not have children in the school district doesn’t mean the school start date doesn’t affect my life, not to mention, I am helping to pay for that education, I should have a say in how my money is being spent. I think the school district should post a link to the survey online so ALL participants in the school district (the students and the people who pay for their education) have a voice. Otherwise it is just a clever game the school district is playing to skew the results. It seems the school district wants our money (property and NOW retail taxes) they just don’t want our opinion.
It also seems they have a tight grip on this survey;
here is the text of the email the school district sent on 11/10. it seems there is one vote per household. i didn’t get the email with the survey, but my wife did.
Hello Sioux Falls Parents. This is Assistant Superintendent Jamie Nold. I’d like to draw your attention to a survey coming to your email that gives you a voice in determining the school calendar for 2018-19. The parent survey will be open for two weeks. Each household receives one opportunity to participate in the survey. The results will be used as the District Calendar Committee meets to make school start and end date recommendations in the spring. Staff and students will also be surveyed separately in the weeks ahead. Thank you and enjoy the weekend.
Surveys usually tell you how the participants were chosen.
Not a word about this in the email sent to PARENTS.
And, no explanation of why parents, staff and students are being surveyed separately.
Interesting situation given we currently have a school calendar that was decided by a petition drive which drove the issue to a public vote.
Shouldn’t the public vote be the final answer? At least wait a few years before stirring this up again. Seems to me this survey could be deviation for not addressing a much bigger problem.
Post Labor Day school start is a bad idea pushed by the special interests. Students/teachers should come first.
Titleast, ironic coming from you.
I guess registered voters and property tax payers doing a petition drive and putting this on the ballot are ‘special interests’. But parents of swim team kids who manipulate the argument that somehow putting an outdoor pool question on the ballot means building an indoor pool (pushed only by the mayor) is NOT special interests.
LMFAO!
If I could opt out of paying for public education, I would let the teachers and students make all the decisions, but since I am paying for it, I get to take part in that process.
On the other hand, the impact of the school year is so much stronger for those with kids in school, that their opinion should carry much more weight. It is of only mild to no concern of other voters.
So you are telling this tax paying voter is that is okay to take my money but not let me have a voice on how it is spent? Maybe instead of having a school board election we should just take a survey with the teachers and students to pick the school board.